Memoirs  of 

Abraham  Lincoln 

In  Edgar  County,  Illinois 


LINCOLN  ROOM 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 
LIBRARY 


■  MEMORIAL 

the  Class  of  1901 

founded  by 

HARLAN  HOYT  HORNER 

and 

HENRIETTA  CALHOUN  HORNER 


/  0J? 


a~|  1 1 1 1 1 1 1  >  i  I  ■  1 1 1 1  ■  ■  I  ■  1 1 1  ■  •  >  ■  ■  ■  ■  >  •  t  ■  >  ■  >  •  ■  M 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1  ■  I M 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  ■ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  t  ■•  1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 '  >"] 


|    Dedicated  to  the  memory  of  the  men  who  practiced 
I  law  in  Ed&ar  County  when  Abraham  Lincoln 

I  traveled  the  Circuit  of  the  Eighth 

Judicial  District. 


Compiled  by  The  Book    Committee  of 

The  Edgar  County  Historical  Society. 


I    MRS.  WILLIAM  T.  SCOTT,  President, 
!  MRS.  IVAN  T.  HOWARD,  Secretary, 

MRS,  ARCHIE  E.  WOODS, 

MRS,  FRANK  M.  FOLEY, 

MRS.  E.  O.  LAUGHLIN. 


Published  by 

1     The  Ed^ar  County  Historical  Society >  1925 


[ajimiiiiiiitni iiiiiiiitiiiuiiiiiiiniiiiinintiniiiiniHtintMititHtiititiiiiiiitmHtittmtinHiiiiiiiHiiiinmm«««iHH4uuiMj[a] 


MEMOIRS   OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


MR.  LINCOLN  IN  1850 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


jTl.M.uiK  "Muiiiimirn ii  1 1  nun  i  n  mi  in mi iniiiii iiiiiiiiiiiinninniiiiiiiii linimiiiiinii Iiliimni  [■] 

I  THE  LINCOLN  CIRCUIT  I 

i  By  E.  0.  Laughlin  f 

[lh  iiiiiniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiimiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiinitinniiiiiiniiiin iiiiiiiiiiiiniiiiiniinim iiiiiiiiiiiniiiiipj] 

In  Springfield^  where  his  ashes  lie) 

A  marble  column  rises  high ; 

To  Springfield,  year  on  year,  there  wends 

A  caravan,  that  never  ends, 

Of  pilgrims,  eager,  come  to  pay 

Their  homage  to  his  sacred  clay ; 

And  yet  niethinks  the  true  estate 

Of  Lincoln,  humble,  simple,  great, 

Is  better  sensed  in  village  street, 

Where  once  he  loved  to  walk  and  greet 

In  heartiness  his  fellows  all, 

In  mart,  in  courthouse,  tavern  hall. 

Methinks  his  spirit  lingers  where 

He  lived  and  wrought.     No  sepulcher 

Of  stately  grandeur,  cold  and  dim, 

Can  hold  the  human  heart  of  him. 

The  little  towns,  the  county  seats, 

With  dreaming  squares  and  idling  streets, 

Plain  homes  of  plainer  pioneers, 

Unsung,  yet  hallowed  through  the  years 

Because  in  distant  times  they  saw 

Him  come  and  go  to  practice  law, 

Tell  homely  tales,  crack  homely  jokes 

And  neighbor  with  the  common  "folks"— 

The  little  towns,  the  country  roads, 

The  woods,  the  prairies,  the  abodes 

Of  humble  men  where  malice  fails 

And  charity  for  all  prevails — 

These  are  the  shrines  that  still  enfold 

The  heart  of  Lincoln  as  of  old. 

Whose  living  legend  runneth  thus : 

We  loved  him;  he  was  one  of  us. 

(Published  by  permission  of  the  Curtis  Publishing  Co.) 


j  - 


MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


LINCOLN    CIRCUIT    MARKER    IN   EDGAR    COUNTY    COURT    YARD. 
UNVEILED  FEBRUARY   12,   1922 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


pallium hum i nun i i i i nun  i  in mini  in , , , ,  -- 

THE  LINCOLN  CIRCUIT 

l  Mrs.  W.  T.  Scott  [ 

j*l   ■ in ii iinn in i ii mi ii i ii mi iiiiiini i „ iininii-. 

Some  years  ago,  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
of  the  Champaign-Urbana,  Springfield  and  Danville  Chapters, 
became  interested  in  marking  the  Lincoln  Circuit  when  Judge 
Cunningham  of  Urbana,  in  an  address  before  these  chapters  in 
the  home  of  Mrs.  George  Busey  of  Urbana,  November  11th, 
1914,  said  his  dearest  dream  was  to  mark  the  Lincoln  Circuit. 

These  chapters  determined  to  make  that  dream  come  true 
by  marking  the  highway  along  which  Mr.  Lincoln  traveled  twice 
each  year  in  his  practice  of  law.  This  highway,  from  one 
county  seat  to  another  in  the  old  Eighth  Judicial  District,  has 
since  that  time,  been  known  as  the  Lincoln  Circuit. 

To  make  possible  this  undertaking  the  records  of  the  setting 
of  the  courts  were  consulted  and  it  was  found  Abraham  Lincoln 
rode  this  circuit  regularly  in  the  decade  following  his  return 
from  his  one  year's  service  in  the  house  of  Representatives  of 
the  United  States  Congress. 

Eighteen  Counties  comprise  this  historic  Circuit — Sanga- 
mon, Tazewell,  Woodford,  McLean,  Logan,  DeWitt,  Piatt,  Cham- 
paign, Vermilion,  Edgar,  Coles,  Shelby,  Moultrie,  Macon,  Chris- 
tian, Menard,  Mason  and  Livingston  Counties. 

Twice  each  year  the  judge  of  this  district,  Judge  David 
Davis,  together  with  lawyers  practicing  in  the  courts  of  these 
counties,  would  travel  from  one  county  seat  to  another  follow- 
ing in  the  order  given,  spending  one  week  in  each  court.  All  the 
lawyers  of  any  prominence  in  this  section  of  the  country  were  in 
the  band  at  one  time  or  another,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  was  the  only  one 
who  always  accompanied  the  Judge.  Judge  Cunnnigham  of 
Urbana,  was  the  last  of  these  lawyers. 

After  the  close  of  the  World  War,  the  real  work  was  begun. 
The  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking  Association  was  organized;  this 
organization  had  the  work  of  marking  the  Circuit  through  the 
counties  not  having  chapters  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution. 

Soon  after  the  Madam  Rachel  Edgar  Chapter  was  organized, 
Mrs.  John  Adam  Shank  was  appointed  on  the  state  committee 
to  have  charge  of  the  work  in  this  countv.  Through  the  untir- 
ing efforts  of  Miss  Lotte  Jones,  State  Chairman,  Mrs.  Shank, 
members  of  this  chapter,  with  the  financial  assistance  of  the 
Board  of  Supervisors,  the  marking  of  the  Lincoln  Circuit 
through  Edf?ar  Countv  was  accomplished. 

It  was  fitting  that  this  memorial,  out  in  the  open,  here  in 
the  heart  of  the  nation,  was  financed  by  the  people  through  the 
Board  of  Supervisors  of  each  County,  for  Abraham  Lincoln  loved 
the  people. 


MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


The  county  line  marker  between  Vermilion  and  Edgar  Counties  was 
unveiled  Nov.  13,  1923.  Charles  Harold  on  the  left,  of  Vermilion  County,  and 
William  Foley  Clark  on  the  right,  of  Edgar  County,  assisted  with  the  cere- 
mony of  the  unveiling.  On  this  particular  occasion  about  three  thousand 
people    were    in    attendance. 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


The  County  Seat  Marker  was  designed  by  the  late  Henry 
Bacon,  who  was  chosen  by  the  government  to  design  the  famous 
Lincoln  Memorial  at  Washington,  D.  C.  We  have  in  this  marker 
not  only  Mr.  Bacon's  design;  but  the  material  used  was  his  sug- 
gestion ;  while  the  tablet  bearing  the  medallion  head  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, was  the  work  of  Mr.  George  Lober,  under  which  are  the 
words — Abraham  L'ncoln  traveled  this  way  when  he  rode  the 
Circuit  oi  the  old  Eighth  Judicial  District  1847-1859. 

Below  are  the  insignia  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American 
Revolution  and  the  monogram  of  the  Lincoln  Circuit  Marking 
Association. 

The  ccuntv  seat  marker  was  unveiled  at  Paris,  Edgar 
County,  Feb.  12,  1922.  On  this  occasion  Mr.  Allen  D.  Albert 
gave  the  address  of  the  afternoon,  the  subject  was  "Lincoln  as  a 
Neighbor." 

Mrs.  William  T.  Scott  of  Chrisman,  Regent  of  Madam 
Rachel  Edgar  Chapter,  gave  an  address  on  the  Lincoln  Circuit. 
The  memorial  was  unveiled  by  Mary  Shelledy  and  Jane  Rowe, 
descendants  of  prominent  men  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  time,  in  Edgar 
County. 

The  Paris  Band  furnished  patriotic  music. 

The  County  Limits  Marker  is  of  ornamental  concrete,  bear 
ing  the  same  tablet  with  the  exception  of  the  Lincoln  head.  This 
Marker  was  designed  by  Mr.  Edgar  Martin,  State  Architect  of 
Illinois. 

Before  the  County  Limits  Markers  were  placed,  Mrs.  Shank 
moved  to  Chicaero  and  Mrs.  William  T.  Scott  was  appointed  on 
the  state  committee  to  have  charge  of  the  work  in  this  county. 

The  County  Limits  Marker  between  Coles  and  Edgar  Coun- 
ties was  dedicated  June  5,  1923.  The  Gov.  Edward  Coles  and 
the  Sally  Lincoln  Chapters  of  Coles  County  and  The  Madam 
Rachel  Edgar  Chapter  of  Edgar  County  served  a  picnic  dinner 
at  the  noon  hour  at  the  Greenwood  school,  the  dedication  follow- 
ing the  dinner.  Miss  Ita  Briscoe  of  Kansas,  Regent  of  Madam 
Rachel  Edgar  Chapter,  gave  the  opening  address.  Miss  Lotte 
Jones,  State  Chairman,  gave  an  address  on  the  Lincoln  Circu't. 
Mr.  B.  H.  Pinnell,  of  Kansas,  and  Mr.  Frank  Van  Sellar  of  Paris, 
each  gave  a  short  talk.  Mrs.  H.  M.  Rollins,  Mrs.  J.  E.  Robin- 
son and  Mrs.  George  Sitherwood,  prominent  D.  A.  R.  of  the 
Lincoln  Circuit  of  McLean  County,  were  present. 

The  County  Limits  Marker  between  Vermilion  and  Edgar 
Counties  was  unveiled  Nov.  13,  1923.  Mrs.  C.  E.  Herrick,  State 
Regent  of  Illinois,  gave  the  first  address;  this  was  followed  by 
Mr.  Oliver  Mann  of  Danville.  Rev.  Silas  Wakefield  of  Chris- 
man,  gave  the  address  of  the  afternoon.  His  subject  was  "Lin- 
coln, the  Man  for  the  Ages."  Dedication  and  presentation  of 
Guide  Post  by  Miss  Lotte  Jones  of  Danville. 

The  Edo:ar  County  work  of  marking  the  Circuit  was  com- 
pleted and  at  this  time  was  accepted  by  Mr.  B.  H.  Pinnell,  who 


MEMOIRS  OP  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


represented  the  Edgar  County  Board  of  Supervisors.  The  school 
children  of  Ridgefarm  marched  in  a  body  and  assisted  by  sing- 
ing three  patriotic  songs.  The  Ridgefarm  Band  also  furnished 
some  good  music.  Many  prominent  members  of  the  Daughters 
of  the  American  Revolution  were  present:  Mrs.  J.  E.  Robinson, 
State  Regent  of  Daughters  of  the  American  Colonists  and  Mrs. 
Harold  Medberry,  State  Chairman  of  Sons  of  the  Republic. 

Between  these  markers  the  telephone  poles  at  all  cross  or 
diverging  roads  bear  the  emblem,  a  white  circle  with  blue 
border,  and  the  words  in  blue,  Lincoln  Circuit. 

Just  eighteen  counties  in  the  state  had  the  honor  of  mark- 
ing the  circuit  of  the  man  who  was  the  crowning  glory  of  Illi- 
nois, Abraham  Lincoln,  American. 

May  these .. monuments  placed  along  the  highway  which 
Lincoln  traveled  speak  in  loud  and  clear  tongue  the  gospel  of 
Americanism. 

To  tell  the  story  through  all  time  of  his  aspirations,  hopes, 
efforts  and  determination  to  do  the  right  as  God  gave  him  the 
power  to  see  the  right,  and  to  preserve  the  nation  of  our  fore- 
fathers, dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  all  men  are  created 
equal;  these  markers  are  jewels  of  history. 


r«"! » 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ion  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  m  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■>  I 

I    CIRCUIT  COURT  OF  PARIS,  ILL.    I 

I  May  Term    1852  \ 

pi  1 1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■■■■  1 1  ■  1 1 1  ■  I  ■  1 1 1 1 1  ■■  1 1  ■■  1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  ( 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■■  1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  ■  1 1 1 .  •  [  I  ■  Q£ 

James  Dudley  and  Richard  B.  Sutherland  vs  John  S.  Hite 
and  Alexander  Mann.     May  Term  1852.     Trespass. 

Lawyers  for  Defendant — Linder  and  Lincoln. 

Jury — Lawson  Kimble,  A.  J.  Fitzgerald,  James  P.  Murphy, 
Hugh  Daugherty,  John  Hunter,  David  Light,  Jo>m  Wimsett, 
Byron  Boyd,  James  Clark,  George  Ewing,  James  M.  McCowan 
and  Samuel  Ewing,  who  for  verdict  herein  say  we  the  jury, 
find  the  issue  for  the  Plaintiff  and  assess  their  damage  at  one 
hundred  and  fifty  dollars  and  whereupon  Linder  attorney  for 
defendants,  enters  a  motion  for  a  new  trial,  which  is  granted 
by  court. 

1853 — Lincoln,  Plaintiff's  attorney  in  case  of  James  C.  Hilt- 
ibert  vs  Jarole  Dalson. 

1852 — October  term — Lincoln  for  Palintifr";  Jesse  K.  Du- 
bois vs    James  Nabb. 

1852— Lincoln  for  Plaintiff;  Sally  Whitley  vs  M.  K.  Alex- 
ander and  others. 

1853— April — Lincoln  for  Plaintiff;  Jesse  Dubois  vs  James 
Nabb,    Ejectment. 

1853 — Anri1— Linco1^  for  Plaintiff;  John  Henderson  vs 
Willie,  m  Peed.    Assrmrsit. 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


1853 — April — Lincoln  for  Plaintiff;  James  C.  Hillibert  vs 
Jacob  Dalson.     Debt. 

1852— Lincoln  for  Plaintiff;  Levi  James  vs  Bennett  Red- 
mon  and  others.     Trespass. 

1853 — April- — Blackburn,  Lincoln  and  Steele  for  Plaintiff  in 
case;  John  S.  Burwell  vs  Joseph  R.  Dickenson,  Adm.  of  Robert 
N.  Dickenson,  deceased,  for  debt.     Plaintiff  lost. 

Edgar  County 

April  1853 — Levi  James  vs  Bennett  Redmon,  Smalwood 
Redmon  and  David  Culbertson,  Lincoln  for  Plaintiff.  Trespass. 
Continued  to  October,  1853. 

October  4,  1853— This  day,  October  4,  1853,  came  the 
Parties  by  their  attorneys  and  issue  being  joined  thereupon  came 
a  jury  of  twelve  good  and  lawful  men,  towit:  George  W.  Rob- 
erts, John  Givens,  Philip  Chrisman,  Asher  Morton,  N.  B.  Stage, 
John  W.  McConkey,  Levi  Bledsoe,  James  Ellege,  Richard  E. 
Tuley,  A.  C.  Morton,  Isaac  Perisho  and  James  Ewing,  who  after 
being  elected,  tried  and  sworn  the  truth  to  speak,  upon  the  issue 
joined,  upon  their  oaths  do  say:  "We  of  the  jury  find  the  Defend- 
ants guilty  and  assess  the  Plaintiff's  damages  at  $112.00." 

Therefore  it  is  considered  and  adjudged  by  the  Court,  that 
the  Plaintiff  herein  recover  of  the  Defendants  the  said  sum  of 
One  hundred  and  Twelve  dollars  damages  as  assessed  by  the 
jury  aforesaid,  together  with  the  costs  and  charges  herein  by 
him  expended  about  his  suit,  herein  expended,  by  the  Clerk  to 
be  taxed  and  that  execution  issue  therefore,  etc. 


A  FRIEND'S  ENDORSEMENT 

St.  Louis 

Feb.  5,  1862 
To  the  President 
of  the  U  States 

Dear  Sir — 
If  the  Tax  Bill  passes  Congress  &  the  state  does  not  as- 
sume the  direct  Tax — -which  I  hope  she  will — there  will  be  I 
suppose  an  Assessor  for  the  "Income  or  Specific  Tax,"  to  be 
appointed.  I  understand  our  friend  George  Rives  of  Edgar 
County  desires  the  place 

You  know  him  as  well  as  I  do  and  it  is  probably  superfluous 
to  write  this  letter — He  is  a  man  of  good  sense  and  judgement 
and  I  should  think  would  have  a  proper  appreciation  of  the  dif- 
ferent values  to  put  on  property- 
Mr.  Rives  has  always  since  I  knew  him  been  a  good  poli- 
tician— He  has  twice  been  endorsed  by  the  people  of  Edgar  for 
County   Clerk. 

I  do  not  know  who  the  applicants  are  but  dont  believe  that 
there  could  be  any  objections  to  Mr.  Rives  suitability  for  the 
place.     His  appointment  would  I  think  give  satisfaction 

Your  Friend 

DAVID  DAVIS 


10 


MEMOIRS   OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


ABRAHAM    LINCOLN    President 

JOHN   P.   USHER Secretary    of    Interior 

RICHARD   W.   THOMPSON   Secretary   of  the   Navy 

JOHN    SCHOFIELD Supreme    Judge    of    Illinois 

ORLANDO   B.   FICKLIN Congressman   with    Lincoln 

ROBERT    J.    INGERSOL Congressman 

USHER    F.    LINDER    Congressman 

SAMUEL  H.  TREAT Federal  Judge   of  Illinois 

JOSEPH  G.  CANNON Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives 

and  many  other  prominent  men  practiced  law  in  this 
Edgar  County  Court,  House. 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  11 

jTjiiui.'i.i-.i m.  mm;  iMinimnrtiM nun ill ill I iiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiini nif"! 

I  LAWYERS'  FEES  SMALL  IN  1842  ) 

tiTmiii  ■  iiiiii  iiniiiiiii  ■iiiiiiiii  mi iiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiinii ■  ■■■■■■■■■iiiiimiin  iiiiii  mm  iiiinimiiiiii  hum  iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiini[ail 

It  must  be  consoling  to  a  multitude  of  young  lawyers  to 
know  that  at  38,  Lincoln  was  willing  to  engage  in  the  prosaic 
business  of  making  collections  at  $10  a  case. 

The  following  letter  was  written  by  Lincoln  Feb.  11,  1842, 
from  Springfield,  where  he  was  practicing  law: 

Envelopes  were  a  part  of  the  sheet  on  which  the  letter  was 
written  and  were  simply  folded  over  the  letter.  This  one  dis- 
closes that  the  letter  was  written  to  G.  B.  Shelledy,  Esq.,  of 
Paris,  Edgar  County,  Illinois. 

"Yours  of  the  10th  is  duly  received.  Judge  Logan  and  my- 
self are  doing  bussiness  (Lincoln's  error)  together  now  and  we 
are  willing  to  attend  each  case  you  prepare  and  send  us  for  $10 
(when  there  shall  be  no  opposition)  to  be  sent  in  advance  or  you 
to  know  that  it  is  safe= — (Lincoln  at  this  time  and  always  used 
a  short  dash  for  a  period.)  It  takes  $5.75  of  cost  to  start  upon, 
that  is,  $1.75  to  clerk  and  $2.00  to  each  of  two  publishers  of 
papers — Judge  Logan  thinks  it  will  take  the  balance  of  $20 — to 
carry  a  case  through — This  must  be  advanced  from  time  to  time 
as  the  services  are  performed  as  the  officers  will  not  act  with- 
out— I  do  not  know  whether  the  bussiness  (again)  can  be  done 
in  our  names. " 

Thinking  it  may  aid  you  a  little  I  send  you  one  of  our  blank 
forms  of  Petitions — It,  you  will  see,  is  framed  to  be  sworn  to  be- 
fore the  Federal  court  clerk,  and,  if  your  cases  will  have  to  be 
so  far  changed  as  to  be  sworn  to  before  the  clerk  of  your  circuit 
court  and  his  certificates  must  be  accompanied  with  the  offi- 
cial seal= — The  schedules,  too,  must  be  attended  to — be  sure  that 
they  contain  the  creditors  names,  their  residences,  the  amounts 
due  each,  the  debtors  names,  their  residence,  and  the  amounts 
they  owe,  also  all  property  and  where  located. " 

Also  be  sure  that  the  Schedules  are  signed  by  the  appli- 
cants as  well  as  the  petitions. 

Publication  will  have  to  be  made  here  in  one  paper,  and  in 
one  nearest  the  residence  of  the  applicant.  Write  us  in  each 
case  where  the  last  advertisement  is  to  be  sent,  whether  to  you 
or  to  what  paper — " 

I  believe  I  have  now  said  everything  that  can  be  of  any  ad- 
vantage. 

"Your  friend*  as  ever, 

"A.  LINCOLN." 


12  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 

prjitn'iiiiuiiii ii •■■■■ iiiiiiiiiiiini ■■■■■■lining] 

|  A  TEST  OF  FRIENDSHIP         [ 

[•3  I ■■■■■■■Ill  Mill  11)1 Ill llllllllllllll Itlllillll  111111 1  IIIIIIIIMMIIIItl"  '  l.[a] 

There  were  few  people  of  Edgar  County  who  were  more  in- 
timately acquainted  with  the  martyred  Lincoln  than  Hon.  Geo. 
W.  Rives,  now  deceased.  During  the  pioneer  days,  and  up  to 
1860,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Rives  were  often  thrown  in  each 
other's  company  during  the  sittings  of  the  circuit  court  at  Paris, 
and  also  during  the  political  campaigns  in  the  district. 

An  early  friendship  was  thus  formed  by  these  men,  wlrch 
continued  throughout  the  course  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  honored  caraer 
until  his  untimely  death.  The  intimacy  was  a  lasting  one,  and 
was  never  tested  but  once. 

During  the  summer  of  1849,  while  a  Member  of  Congress 
from  the  Seventh  District  of  Illinois,  Mr.  Lincoln  prom'sed  Mr. 
Rives  to  use  his  influence  in  securing  him  (Mr.  Rives)  an  Ind'an 
agency  or  a  land  office  in  Minnesota.  Some  correspondence  had 
passed  betweeen  them  on  the  subject,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
called  to  Kentucky  on  legal  business. 

Dr.  Anson  G.  Henry  of  Springfield,  now  dead,  also  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  Lincoln's  was  likewise  an  aoplicant  for  office,  and 
curiously  enough,  wished  the  office  that  Mr.  Rives  was  seeking, 
and  knowing  the  strong  friendship  which  existed  between  Lin- 
coln and  Rives,  sought  to  create  an  enmity  between  the  two,  and 
thus  further  his  interests.  Accordingly  his  friends  circulated 
the  report  that  Mr.  Rives  was  talking  of  Lincoln  in  an  abusive 
manner,  and  trying  in  various  ways  to  injure  him.  Letters  were 
written  and  sent  to  Lincoln,  with  information  of  this  nature  and 
like  rumors  reached  his  ears.  But  Lincoln's  high  ideas  of  honor, 
and  the  strong  friendship  hitherto  formed  for  Mr.  Rives,  pre- 
vented his  placing  implicit  confidence  in  these  stories,  although 
he  was,  to  a  certain  extent,  affected  by  them. 

Mr.  Rives  had  written  several  letters  to  Mr.  Lincoln  about 
this  appointment,  directing  them  to  Springfield  in  his  ignorance 
as  to  Mr.  Lincoln's  whereabouts,  and  had  received  no  replies,  un- 
til in  December,  when  the  following  characteristic  letter  reached 
Mr,  Rives,  which  explains: 

Springfield,  Dec.  15th,  1849. 
G.  W.  Rives,  Esq., 

Dear  Sir: 

On  my  return  from  Kentucky  I  found  your  letter  of  the  7th 
of  November,  and  have  delayed  answering  it  till  now,  for  the  rea- 
son I  now  briefly  state.  From  the  beginning  of  our  acquain- 
tance, I  had  felt  the  greatest  kindness  for  you,  and  had  supposed 
it  was  reciprocated  on  your  part.  Last  summer,  under  circum- 
stances   which  I  mention   to    you,  I  was    painfully    constrained 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  13 


to  withhold  a  recommendation  which  you  desired  and  shortly 
afterwards  I  learned  in  such  a  way  as  to  believe  it,  that  you 
were  indulging  in  open  abuse  of  me,  of  course,  my  feelings 
were  wounded.  On  receiving  your  last  letter,  the  question 
occurred  whether  you  were  attempting  to  use  me,  at  the  same 
time  you  would  injure  me,  or  whether  you  might  not  have  been 
misrepresented  to  me.  If  the  former,  I  ought  not  to  answer 
you ;  if  the  latter  I  ought,  and  so  I  have  remained  in  suspense.  I 
now  inclose  you  a  letter  which  ycu  may  use  if  you  think  fit. 

Yours,  &c, 

A.  LINCOLN. 

The  letter  which  Mr.  Lmcoln  speaks  of  having  enclosed  was 
a  letter  of  recommendation  for  the  position  Mr.  Rives  had  asked. 
This  showed  that  Lincoln  still  trusted  Mr.  Rives,  despite  the 
damaging  reports  in  circulation,  and  it  was  also  a  revelation  to 
Mr.  Rives.  Taking  the  first  stage,  Mr.  Rives  started  at  once 
for  Spr'ngfield,  and  0:1  his  arrival  there  he  immediately  started 
in  search  of  Dr.  Henry,  and  upon  finding  him  proceeded  to  de- 
mand an  instant  retraction  of  all  he  had  said.  Dr.  Henry,  to 
use  Mr.  Rives'  words,  "was  a  smooth-tongued,  scheming,  con- 
niving, weTl-dressed  fellow,  and  explained  that  he  had  nothing 
to  do  with  the  lies  started,  and  hoped  there  would  be  no  trouble 
arise." 

Mr.  Rives  knowing  the  friendship  which  existed  between 
Lincoln  and  Henry,  did  not  push  the  matter  any  further  than  to 
demand  an  exoneration  before  Lincoln  by  Henry,  which  request 
was  compFed  with  and  everything  cleared  up. 

The  recommendation  was  never  used  by  Mr.  Rives,  but  he 
secured  the  post  office  afterwards  for  his  brother-in-law,  Mr. 
John  Stratton,  through  Mr.  Lincoln's  influence. 

HOTEL  AT  BLOOMFIELD 

The  hotel  of  Alexander  Sommerville,  of  Bloomfield,  was  a 
famous  stopping  place  for  travelers  for  many  years.  Here  was 
entertained  many  noted  men  among  them  was  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, while  he  rode  the  circuit  as  a  lawyer. 

Lincoln  was  also  in  the  town  as  a  temperance  lecturer  and 
organized  a  society  some  time  in  the  thirties  with  G.  W.  Riley  as 
president  of  the  society. 

The  above  taken  from  the  paper  of  Thomas  Hoult,  written 
for  the  Historical  Society,  giving  early  history  of  Bloomfield. 


14  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

"Tin  minim  uimtn   ..  iiiiiiiii Illllllllllllllllll ■ ■• Illlllll ■■ iniiiirpj 

Personal  Memories  of  Lincoln        \ 

lEJ llltlllllllllllllllllllll Illllllllllll tin iiiiiiiii mi i nr  minimum mcm.im    n|T! 

A.  J.  BARER 

A.  J.  Baber,  now  deceased,  heard  Mr.  Lincoln  deliver  the 
first  Republican  speech  ever  made  in  Edgar  County.  (Taken 
from  the  Paris  Beacon,  of  Feb.  12,  1909.) 

In  1856,  the  old  Whig  party  was  in  favor  of  Ex-President 
Fillmore  for  President,  but  the  slaverv  question  was  absorbing 
the  attention  of  the  people.  The  Whig  party  as  well  as  the 
Democrat  party  had  not  opposed  the  further  extension  of 
slavery.    The  Democratic  candidate  was  James  Buchanan. 

John  C.  Fremont  was  the  candidate  for  the  Republicans  for 
the  presidency.  The  new  anti-slavery  party  was  only  two  years 
old, 

Richard  Sutherland,  of  Grandview,  had  been  a  Whig,  but 
had  joined  the  new  party.  He  had  recently  made  a  tour  of  the 
eastern  states  and  saw  the  situation  clearer  than  his  neighbors 
about  Grandview,  who  were  mostly  in  favor  of  Fillmore. 

This  virtually  meant  two  slavery  parties  against  the  new 
Republican  Free  Soil  party,  as  it  was  called.  Mr.  Sutherland, 
knowing  Abraham  Lincoln  to  be  the  most  prominent  leader  of 
the  Fremont  party  in  Illinois,  induced  the  future  great  emanci- 
pator to  come  to  Grandview  and  deliver  a  Republican  speech, 
the  first  speech  delivered  in  the  county  in  favor  of  the  new  party. 

Besides  Lincoln,  H.  P.  H.  Bromwell,  who  afterward  served 
two  terms  in  Congress  from  this  district,  was  present  and  he 
enjoyed  the  heartiest  laugh  of  his  life  on  this  occasion,  and 
never  forgot  the  incidents  connected  with  Lincoln's  speech  dur- 
ing his  entire  life. 

Mr.  Lincoln  showed  the  old  Whigs,  who  were  strongly 
opposed  to  the  Democrats,  that  the  slave-holders  absolutely 
controlled  both  Whigs  and  Democrats,  and  that  if  they  wanted 
to  be  free  men  themselves  they  must  fight  slavery.  He  explained 
to  the  people  the  arrogance  of  the  slave-owners,  their  aristo- 
cratic and  plutocratic  tendencies  and  showed  them,  that,  if  they 
wanted  to  be  free  men  they  must  have  free  soil,  and  teaching 
them  that  the  slave-owners  in  opposing  free  soil  were  at  the 
same  time  insiduously  opposing  free  men,  white  or  black.  In 
fact,  Mr.  Lincoln  made  one  of  those  simple,  honest,  straight- 
forward speeches  for  which  he  was  noted  and  made  many  con- 
verts to  the  cause  of  freedom.  A  Dr.  Goodell  had  located  at 
Kansas,  Edgar  County,  to  practice  medicine.  He  sympathized 
with  the  slave-holders  and  with  others  from  Kansas  attended 
the  Grandview  speaking.  He  wanted  to  reply  to  the  speech  of 
Mr.  Lincoln,  and  the  Whigs  still  being  in  the  majority  there, 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  15 


stood  by  him  and  some  wrangling  ensued.  Finally  Josh  Cooper 
of  Marshall,  111.,  who  attended  the  rally,  propo3ed  that  Dr.  Good- 
ell  should  rerly  to  Mr.  Lincoln  if  he,  Cooper,  were  allowed  to  reply 
to  Dr.  Goodell.  So  a  compromise  was  made  along  these  lines 
and  Dr.  Goodell  replied  to  Lincoln.  One  peculiarity  of  Dr. 
Goodell  was  his  tendency  to  use  big  words.  He  used  no  words 
but  ponderous  polysyllables  if  he  could  avoid  it.  So  it  was  great 
fun  for  those  who  could  appreciate  the  humorous  side  of  it, 
and  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Bromwell  lay  on  the  grass  within  hear- 
ing of  Dr.  Goodell  and  laughed  and  rolled  from  prolonged 
mirth  fulness.  One  sample  of  Dr.  Goodell's  speech  which  was 
vituperative,  so  far  as  it  meant  anything,  is  as  follows:  The 
new  Republican  party  is  composed  of  the  essence  of  the 
quintessence  01  the  putresence  of  purulent  matter  and  it  has 
agitated  and  shaken  this  great  fabric  from  center  to  circum- 
ference." At  the  c'ose  of  Goodell's  speech  Mr.  Cooper  said: 
"Fellow  citizens,  I  am  going  home  and  when  I  get  there  I  am 
going  to  take  down  mv  dictionary  and  if  I  find  one  word  in  it, 
you  have  iust  listened  to,  I'll  burn  the  thing  in  the  cook  stove  so 
none  of  it  can  escape." 

At  this  time  Mr.  Baber  also  told  of  the  occasion  when  Lin- 
coln was  to  make  a  temperance  speech  at  Baldwinsville  school 
house  and  missing  connection  with  his  host,  Col.  Baldwin,  made 
the  trip  of  s'x  miles  on  foot  in  order  to  keep  his  engagement. 


HOWARD  McCORD 

Howard  M~Cord  tells  of  the  meeting  for  Lincoln  written 
by  Dr.  Floyd  M.  Davis: 

"I  was  just  a  green  country  boy  of  fifteen  at  the  time,  I 
had  probably  heard  of  Lincoln,  but  the  name  had  made  but 
little  impression  upon  me.  I  came  to  town  with  a  load  of  wood 
the  day  he  spoke.  I  passed  the  speakers'  stand,  saw  the  crowd 
and  remember  that  I  stopped  my  team  and  asked  someone  who 
was  speaking.  The  reply  was  "Lincoln,"  and  I  wondered  who 
Lincoln  was,  as  I  drove  on.  I  can't  explain  it,  maybe  it  was  Lin- 
coln's speech,  but  it  is  safe  to  say  that  not  ten  days  later  the 
"Tall  Sucker"  was  the  subject  of  conversation  in  about  every 
home  in  Edgar  County." 

The  joint  debate  between  Lincoln  and  Douglas  at  Charles- 
ton took  place  eleven  days  after  Lincoln  spoke  here,  and  all 
parties  partook  of  the  general  enthusiasm.  How  many  went  to 
Charleston  from  Edgar  County  will  never  be  known.  Six  hun- 
dred went  by  train  alone,  but  it  is  probable  that  double  that 
number  rode  or  drove  over. 

An  excursion  train  made  up  of  "ten  side  door  Pullmans" 
(stock  cars),  with  heavy  boards  on  trestles  for  seats,  left  Terre 
Haute  at  an  early  hour.  There  were  about  one  hundred  on 
board  when  it  reached  Paris.     Four  hundred  were  waiting  for 


It; 


MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


&£k**J 


#Y        f*s\^j        Via^,      ^COkXT   ^Jf 


COPY   OF   LETTER   WRITTEN    BY    MR.    LINCOLN 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  1? 


it  here.     The  train  arrived  at  Charleston  with  more  than  six 
hundred    on   board. 

Leaving  the  cars  the  passengers  formed  in  two  lines,  one 
of  Douglas  men,  the  other  Lincoln.  At  the  head  of  the  former 
was  carried  a  long  banner  reading  "Edgar  County,  500  Major- 
itv  for  Douglas."  The  Lincoln  men  carried  a  banner  reading 
"Old  Edgar  for  the  Tall  Sucker." 

)•] 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1  1 1 1 ■  •  » l  > i e 1 1 1 1 1 1  ' 1 1 m i ii 1 1 ■ i ■ i ■ ■ 1 1 ■ ■ i ■ 1 1 1 ■ 1 1 1 1 ■ i ■ i ■ 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ■ ■ 1 1 ■ 3 ) 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 > 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 » 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n i 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 n 1 1 1 it 1 1 1 is n 1 1 : i jjj 

I    FREQUENT  VISITOR  IN  PARIS    I 


inn ieiiiiii i ■ : :  i  ■  1 1 1 1 ■  ■  i : [iniuiii 


Abraham  Lincoln,  the  private  citizen,  was  known  by  the 
Illinois  friends,  better  in  a  S02ial  way  than  in  his  public,  or 
political  life.  He  was  very  near  to  those  old  friends,  one  of 
whom  was  my  father,  Can.  M.  K.  Alexander,  at  whose  home 
Mr.  Lincoln  was  a  visitor  whenever  he  was  in  Paris  on  busi- 
ness. The  first  time  I  met  him,  I  have  been  informed  by  the 
older  members  of  the  family,  I  celebrated  the  occasion  by  tak- 
ing my  first  steps  in  his  presence.  The  last  time  I  saw  him  be- 
fore his  election  as  President  was  in  1856,  when  he  made  a  poli- 
tical speech  in  the  grove  of  my  uncle,  Col.  Washington  Alex- 
ander. 

The  grove  occupied  the  ground  between  the  present  loca- 
tion of  the  interurban  station  and  the  street  east  of  that,  a 
beautiful  grove  of  forest  trees.  There  were  no  houses  there 
excepting  my  uncle's.  Washington  street  has  since  been 
extended  through,  and  houses  built  on  this  ground. 

I  heard  Mr.  Lincoln  speak,  and  saw  him  immediately  after 
at  home.  My  father  was  an  invalid  and  unable  to  leave  the 
house  at  that  time.  Although  Stephen  A.  Douglas  and  Mr. 
Lincoln  were  opposed  to  each  other  politically,  they  were  in 
social  life,  friends.  Mr.  Douglas  was  a  frequent  visitor  to  my 
oldest  sister,  and  on  one  occasion,  Mr.  Lincoin  called  with  him. 
The  young  lady,  however,  had  become  more  interested  in  a  new 
suitor,  and  when  she  saw  these  gentlemen  approaching,  made  a 
very  undignified  disappearance  through  a  back  window.  Dr. 
John  TenBrosck  was  the  formidable  rival. 

I  have  a  letter  to  my  father  in  regard  to  some  town  lots  in 
Clinton,  Illinois,  a  photographed  copy  is  shown  on  page  20. 

I  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  after  he  became  President  at  the  Conti- 
nental Hotel  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  and  Edward  Everett 
Spoke  from  the  balcony. 

My  husband,  Judge  R.  B.  Lamon,  practiced  law  in  Danville* 
and  knew  Mr.  Lincoln  well.  Ward  Hill  Lamon,  his  cousin,  was 
a  law  partner  of  Mr.  Lincoln,  both  in  Danville  and  Bloomington. 
On  one  Sunday  while  Mr.  Lincoln  was  attending  court  in  Dan- 


IS  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

ville.  Mr.  Morgan,  who  live:!  in  the  country,  invited  Mr.  Lincoln, 
Judge  David  Davis,  Judge  0.  L.  Davis,  Leonard  Sweet,  Ward 
H.  Lamon  and  my  husband  to  spend  the  day.  Judge  David 
Davis  was  at  that  time  Circuit  Judge,  and  was  later  appointed 
one  of  the  Judges  of  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 
Leonard  Sweet  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  lawyers  of  the 
State. 

Judge  0.  L.  Davis  was  later  one  of  the  Appellate  Judges  of 
the  State  and  Ward  H.  Lamon  was  appointed  Marshal  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  by  Mr.  Lincoln. 

Judge  Lamon  said  it  was  a  most  interesting  day,  that  there 
was  not  an  uninteresting  thing  said.  They  talked,  of  course,  of 
various  things,  among  them,  they  discussed  fiction.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln had  not  expressed  himself,  so  was  asked,  as  to  who  was  his 
favorite  author  on  that  line.  He  replied,  "Gentlemen,  I  have 
never  had  time  to  read  fiction,  or  poetry,  excepting  Shakes- 
peare," of  his  works,  however,  he  was  very  fond  and  familiar. 
A  copy  belonging  to  the  family  of  Judge  Oliver  Davis  is 
valued  on  account  of  the  marking  by  Mr.  Lincoln  of  his  favorite 
passages,  while  a  visitor  at  the  Davis  home. 

My  husband  was  in  court  on  one  occasion  when  Judge  David 
Davis  was  presiding.  There  was  an  outburst  of  laughter  among 
the  attorneys,  Judge  Davis  rapped  for  order  and  said,  "Gentle- 
men, we  must  have  better  order  in  the  room."  As  soon  as  quiet 
prevailed  the  Judge  called  one  of  the  lawyers  and  asked,  "What 
was  Lincoln  te7lmg  you  this  time?" 

Ward  H.  Lamon  was  not  only  a  partner  in  law  of  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, but  was  a  most  intimate  friend.  At  Mr.  Lincoln's  request 
he  accompanied  him  to  Washington  for  the  Inauguration.  Mr. 
Lamon  was  anro'nted  Marshal  of  the  District  of  Columbia  very 
soon  after.  This  was  not  of  his  own  choosing,  but  in  deference 
to  Mr.  Lincoln's  wish  to  have  him  near  him  in  the  trying  times 
he  anticipated,  he  accepted  the  appointment. 

Mr.  Lincoln  never  neglected  any  attention  he  could  give  to 
his  own  people,  Dennis  Hanks,  his  own  cousin,  and  who  was 
reared  in  the  same  house  with  him,  spent  the  last  years  of  his 
life  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  James  Shoaff.  who  was  my  neigh- 
bor. I  saw  quite  a  little  of  him  at  that  time,  and  found  him  in- 
teresting. He  was  a  reader  and  an  interesting  talker.  The 
only  time  he  was  in  Washington  after  Mr.  Lincoln  was  President, 
he  went  directly  to  the  White  House, and  knowing  nothing  of  the 
formalities  for  gaining  access  to  the  President,  went  to  the  way 
leading  to  the  rooms  where  Mr.  Lincoln  received,  and  was  asked 
at  the  door  for  his  credentials,  and  as  to  whether  he  had  an  ap- 
pointment with  the  President.  But  he  had  nothing  to  show  for 
it,  so  was  denied  admission,  all  of  which  astonished  him,  that 
there  would  be  any  trouble  of  this  kind.  He  finally  decided  that 
the  next  party  that  secured  admission  he  would  accompany 
whether  or  no.     So  he  pushed  right  in,  and  it  happened  that  Mr. 


IN  EDGAR  COTJNTY,  ILLINOIS  1(J 


Lincoln  was  standing  facing  the  door  and  saw  Demi's  at  once, 
he  rushed  over  to  him,  put  his  hands  on  his  shoulders,  and  said, 
"Why,  Dennis,  where  did  ycu  come  from?"  Mr.  Hanks  said  he 
enjoyed  seeing  those  "Lackeys*'  at  the  door,  with  their  eyes  pop- 
ping out  in  amazement. 

Mr.  Lincoln  never  had  a  gold  watch  until  he  went  to  Wash- 
ington. He  bought  one,  and  while  Mr.  Hanks  was  there  he  gave 
him  the  silver  watch  he  had  carr'ecl  for  years,  and  Mr.  Hanks 
shewed  it  to  me  with  a  great  deal  of  pride. 

Ward  Lamon  was  apprehensive  of  danger  to  Mr.  Lincoln,  of 
assassination  from  the  first,  but  could  not  convince  him  of  it. 
Me  told  me  that  once  when  he  was  talking  to  him  on  the  danger 
of  gong  about  as  he  was  in  the  habit  of  doing,  unguarded,  and 
had  enlarged  on  the  subject,  the  President  said,  "Now,  Hill,  if 
you  will  cut  short  your  lecture,  111  come  and  sit  in  your  Jap,  and 
be  good.'"  And  to  Judge  Usher,  who  happened  in,  he  said,  "This 
boy  has  been  trying  to  scare  me;  he  has  to  go  to  Richmond  on 
Government  business  for  a  few  days,  and  wants  me  to  promise 
that  while  he  is  gone,  I  will  not  go  out  nights,  particul?rlv  to  the 
theatre,  he  thinks  T  am  in  danger  of  being  murdered.  Why,  if 
a  man  wanted  to  kill  me,  he  could  come  right  in  here  and  do  it." 
Judge  Usher  said  he  agreed  with  Lamon,  but  Mr.  Lincoln  would 
not  promise.  Col.  Lemon  went  to  Richmond  and  three  days 
later  the  President  was  assassinated.  Col.  Lamon  thought  he 
could  have  prevented  Mr.  Lincoln's  going  to  the  theatre  that  par- 
ticular night  had  he  been  at  home. 

The  one  poem  that  we  have  associated  in  oar  minds  with 
-Mr.  Lincoln,  my  mother  heard  him  recite,  when  she  went  with 
my  father  to  the  first  Capital  of  the  State,  Vandalia.  The  first 
verse  is  given  here : 

"Oh,  why  should  the  spirit  of  mortal  be  proud? 

Like  a  swift  fleeting  meteor,  a  fast  flying  cloud, 
A  flash  cf  the  lightning,  a  break  of  the  wave 
Man  passes  from  life  to  his  rest  in  the  grave." 

LUCY  A.  LAMON, 


Personal  recollections  of  Mrs.  Belle  Pierce,  of  Redmon,  111.'. 

"When  I  was  about  four  years  of  age,  my  foster  parents, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Moses  Burnett,  kept  the  Burnett  Tavern  which  was 
in  the  southeast  corner  of  Grandview.  I  can  remember  of  Mr. 
Lincoln's  visits,  at  our  tavern.  His  meals  were  served  for  ten 
cents,  his  horse  was  also  fed  for  the  same  price,  this  also  in- 
cluding the  care  of  it.  Mr.  Lincoln  always  had  saddle  bags,  and 
Would  throw  them  down  in  the  bar  room.  This  I  remember 
quite  distinctly,  as  I  often  stumbled  over  them.  Mr.  Lincoln 
always  carried  a  lantern  among  his  effects." 


20 


MEMOIRS   OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


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COPY   OF  LETTER  WRITTEN  TO  GEN.   M.  K.  ALEXANDER 


_  IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  21 

^>|ll:illlllllll<llllllll II I  mil 1 1 lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllllllllllllltllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll \*} 

I      PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS      | 

1*1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 !  1 1  [•! 

AS  WILLIAM  B,  SHERIFF  REMEMBERS  MR.  LINCOLN. 

On  North  Main  Street,  Paris,  Illinois,  May  17th,  1858,  I  was 
walking  down  the  street  and  met  Mr.  Charles  Summers,  an  at- 
torney of  Paris,  a  brother-in-law  of  Judge  A.  Y.  Trogdon.  Mr. 
Summers,  for  whom  I  had  run  some  errands,  was  a  director  of 
the  Terre  Haute,  Alton  &  St.  Louis  Railway.  He  said,  "Will, 
would  yon  like  to  go  to  Charleston  tomorrow  to  hear  the  joint 
debate  between  Douglas  and  Lincoln  for  United  States  senator- 
ship;  there  is  to  be  a  special  train  going  in  the  morning  and 
returning  in  the  evening?  He  saying,  if  I  cared  to  go  he  would 
write  me  a  pass,  which  he  promptly  did,  and  said  to  me,  "Doctor 
NewelFs  son  John,  your  playmate,  would  enjoy  going, "  and  he 
made  out  a  pass  for  him.  I  said  that  John  would  be  delighted 
to  go,  as  I  wanted  company.  I  remember  how  the  platform  oc- 
cupied by  the  speakers  faced  to  the  east,  one  of  the  speakers  be- 
ing of  a  long  frame,  and  the  other  a  short,  heavy-set  man.  I  did 
not  get  much  benefit  of  the  arguments,  as  a  boy  of  my  size  and 
age  being  more  interested  in  the  red  lemonade  and  the  melons, 
I  suppose.  Fifty  years  later,  on  May  16th,  1908,  I  went  to  the 
celebration  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  debate  at  Charles- 
ton. The  platform  occupied  the  same  ground  as  fifty  years  be- 
fore. They  reserved  space  in  the  front  of  the  platform  for  peo- 
ple who  attended  the  debate  fifty  years  before.  That  space  was 
filled  up  by  a  number  of  gray  haired  people.  I  remember  that 
Judge  A.  Y.  Trogdon  was  one  of  them.  The  committee  distrib- 
uted a  very  good  badge  with  Lincoln  and  Douglas  pictures ;  the 
supply  gave  out  before  they  reached  me.  One  side  of  the  badge 
was  for  1858  and  the  other  the  fiftieth  celebration.  I  went  down 
to  the  Courier  newspaper  office  and  a  young  lady  clerk  asked 
what  she  could  do  for  me.  I  said  I  would  be  obliged  to  get  a 
badge  of  the  fiftieth  anniversary.  She  replied  that  they  were 
only  given  to  those  who  were  there  fifty  years  before.  I  said 
that  was  why  I  was  asking,  I  was  not  very  old  at  the  time,  but  I 
was  there.  She  remarked  that  I  did  not  look  it,  for  which  I 
thanked  her.     I  have  the  badge  and  it  is  in  very  good  condition. 

There  was  seven  of  the  joint  debates  during  the  year  1858 
and  all  ox  the  sites  are  marked  with  monuments.  I  went  to  In- 
dianapolis in  1865  to  see  Lincoln's  body  lying  in  state  in  the 
State  House  while  on  the  way  to  Springfield  via  Chicago.  Later 
I  went  several  times  to  the  cemetery  at  Springfield  and  have  had 
a  full  sized  portrait  of  Lincoln  hanging  in  my  office  for  many 
years. 


22  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN' 


MY  PERSONAL   RECOLLECTIONS  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 

Back  in  the  days  when  the  judges  and  attorneys  rode  the 
circuit  from  county  seat  to  county  seat  to  hold  the  terms  of 
court,  at  one  term  in  Paris,  either  in  the  year  1852  or  1853,  I 
was  engaged  in  a  game  of  marbles  at  the  east  door  of  the  old 
Court  House.  A  tall  spare  built  man,  plainly  dressed,  came  out 
of  the  door  and  stopped  to  look  at  the  game.  After  looking  for 
a  few  moments,  he  asked  one  of  the  boys  engaged  in  the  game, 
and  I  think  it  was  Mert  Jaauith,  gave  this  gentleman  his  mar- 
ble and  he  participated  in  the  game,  and,  by  the  way,  he  was 
an  expert  player.  After  finishing  that  game,  he  thanked  the 
group  of  boys  and  passed  on  down  toward  the  old  Paris  Hotel, 
where  he  was  stopping. 

I  thought  very  little  of  that  incident  at  the  time,  but  as 
years  went  bv,  in  1858,  Abraham  Lincoln  became  a  candidate 
for  United  States  Senator  from  Illinois.  His  opponent  was 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  usually  called  the  "Little  Giant. "  During 
that  campaign.  Mr.  Lincoln  was  billed  to  sneak  in  Paris  on  a 
certain  date.  The  platform  was  erected  in  the  Wash  Alexander 
grove,  which  is  now  East  Washington  Street.  I  came  to  the 
sneaking  and  when  the  speaker  was  introduced,  I  recognized 
him  immediately  as  the  man  who  had  participated  in  t^e  game 
of  marbles  five  or  six  years  previous  to  that  time.  The  two 
incidents  together  impressed  my  mind  so  that  they  never  es- 
caped from  my  recollection.  As  time  went  on,  as  the  people 
all  know,  this  same  Abraham  Lincoln  was  elected  President  of 
the  United  States.  As  President  of  the  United  States  he  was 
a^so  Commander-in-Chief  of  the  Army  of  which  I  was  a  member 
during  the  War.  He  was  assassinated  before  my  term  of  serv- 
ice expired,  conseouently,  I  was  prevented  from  ever  seeing 
that  peculiar  type  of  man  again. 

This  country  has  produced  a  great  manv  very  eminent 
men,  known  in  their  own  country  as  well  as  in  foreign  lands, 
but  to  my  mind,  Abraham  Lincoln  was  pre-eminently  the  great- 
est statesman  that  America  has  ever  produced,  both  at  home 
and  through  the  length  and  breadth  of  th&  civilised  world. 

W.  C.  SLEMONS. 
*     *     * 

RECOLLECTIONS  BY  HON.  H    P.  H.  BROMWELL. 

The  following  clipping  from  an  old  paper  was  presented  to 
The  Daily  Beacon  by  the  late  R.  G.  Sutherland,  cashier  of  the 
First  National  Bank: 

"In  the  days  of  President  Lincoln,  the  Hon.  H.  P.  H.  Brom- 
well  was  a  prominent  man  in  Illinois,  indeed  in  national  rolitics. 
A  member  of  the  same  bar  and  about  the  same  age  as  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, politically  of  the  same  faith,  he  and  the  judge  were  natur- 
ally warm  friends.  When  approached  by  a  reporter  concern- 
ing a  Lincoln  anecdote,  he  said,  'I  was  present  and  know  all 
about  it;  except  I  forget  some  of  the   most   laughable   parts  of 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  23 


the  altercation  between  the  lawyer  and  doctor  referred  to.  If 
I  could  recollect  every  word,  I  could  not  tell  it  as  Mr.  Lincoln 
could  and  did.  There  is  a  sequel  to  the  story,  more  interesting 
than  any  part  of  it,  which  must  go  with  it ;  it  concerns  Mr. 
Lincoln  directly  in  the  last  days  of  his  life.  There  is  not  now 
another  person  than  myself  alive  who  knows  all  of  both  parts 
of  this  story.  I  will  give  you  the  facts  just  as  they  happened, 
and  you  may  be  assured  that  every  expression  attributed  to 
Mr.  Lincoln  is  in  the  very  words  used  by  him,  unless  where  I 
state  it  to  be  otherwise. 

"Late  in  September,  1856,  Mr.  Lincoln  and  I  were  on  a  trip 
together  speaking  through  the  old  Seventh  Congressional  Dis- 
trict of  Illinois.  We  left  Charleston,  Coles  County,  about  10 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  a  freight  train  on  the  Terre  Haute 
&  Alton  railroad,  to  go  to  Grandview,  a  small  town  about  two 
miles  from  the  railroad,  in  Edgar  county,  where  a  township 
meeting  was  to  be  held  at  1  o'clock  that  day.  There  were  no 
other  passengers  as  I  can  recollect,  and  we  got  off  at  Dudlev, 
two  miles  from  Grandview,  and  went  to  dinner  with  R.  B. 
Sutherland,  who  lived  then  at  the  station,  an  old  and  leading 
citizen  of  Grandview,  and  one  of  the  best  men  of  Edgar  county. 
He  is  now  no  'more  on  earth,'  but  he  was  one  of  those  men 
whom  I  cannot  mention  with  indifference  at  anv  time.  After 
dinner  we  went  in  a  one-horse  wagon,  with  Mr.  Sutherland  and 
others,  to  Grandview,  where  a  platform  had  been  built  in  a 
grove  that  was  fenced  in,  and  the  ground  was  covered  with  a 
rank  growth  of  blue  grass  nearly  two  feet  high.  The  scenery 
around  Grandview  was  worthy  of  the  name.  The  whole  neigh- 
borhood presented  a  succession  with  walnut  groves,  between 
which  lay  the  farms  stretching  out  for  miles  with  large  orch- 
ards, wide  cornfields,  and  white  farmhouses,  all  overlooking  the 
grand  prairie  on  the  north,  and  bounded  by  the  'rich  woody'  for- 
est on  the  south.  The  place  in  which  the  meeting  was  to  be  held 
was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  these  groves,  the  trees  being 
tall  and  straight,  and  just  enough  scattered  to  give  all  the  beauty 
of  mingled  shade  and  sunshine,  and  the  mellow  autumn  sun- 
light breaking  through  the  wide  spreading  branches  of  the  pen- 
sive seeming  walnut  trees,  bending  with  the  weight  of  their 
orange-like  fruit,  together  with  the  wide  and  quiet  landscape 
toward  the  north,  gave  a  wonderful  air  of  repose  to  the  whole 
scene.  The  people  assembled  and  sat  down  on  the  cushion  of 
blue  grass  which  filled  every  square  foot  of  the  inclosure,  and 
shortly  after  1  o'clock  the  speaking  began.  Mr.  Lincoln  was 
one  of  the  Republican  nominees  for  elector-at-large  on  the  Fre- 
mont ticket  and  I  was  nominee  on  the  same  ticket  for  elector 
for  the  district  which  included  Logan  county,  running  70  miles 
north  of  Springfield,  and  Lawrence  county,  opposite  Vincennes 
on  the  south.  What  our  chances  were  in  that  region  may  be 
inferred  from  the  numbers  of  each  party  present   (if,  being  a 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 


Republican  meeting),  which  were  90  Democrats  and  46  Fillmore 
men,  or  46  Democrats  and  90  Fillmore  men,  I  forget  which,  and 
6  Republicans.  Although  that  may  seem  a  slim  showing  for  us, 
yef  by  comparison  it  didn't  seem  so  bad  to  me.  for  there  were 
present  5  more  Republicans  than  I  found  in  all  Clay  county,  and 
6  more  than  in  Piatt  county  at  the  beginning  of  the  campaign, 
Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  last,  and  made  one  of  the  most  masterly 
speeches  of  his  life.  His  jovial  spirit  seemed  to  fill  the  assem- 
bly, and  there  was  not  only  universal  good  humor,  but,  from 
some  cause,  there  grew  up  a  remarkable  disposition  to  have1 
some  fun. 

"Everybody  was  at  ease  and  leisure;  all  had  been  to  din- 
ner, and  to  eat  dinner  with  the  Edgar  county  people  meant  to 
get  what  the  Frenchman  called  a  "ver  grand  stately''  of  the 
good  things  which  a  country  produced  where  it  was  constantly 
remarked  that  a  man  could  work  one  day  and  live  on  it  six. 

"The  lawyer  and  doctor  mentioned  by  Mr.  Usher  were  both 
there,  though  not  by  appointment.  The  lawyer  was  the  Hon, 
J.  P.  Cooper,  a  Republican  of  Marshall,  Clark  County,  formerly 
Democratic  member  of  the  legislature  and  afterward  judge  of 
the  county  court  of  Coles  county,  and  the  doctor  was  Dr.  A. 
Goodell,  of  Kansas,  then  as  always  a  devoted  Democrat.  They 
were  both  men  of  remarkable  fluency  of  speech,  both  excitable, 
and  each  for  certain  peculiarities  never  had  an  equal  that  I  ever 
saw.  Each  for  some  reason  had  a  special  desire  to  get  after  the 
other,  and  each  had  come  to  make  a  speech  if  a  chance  could  be 
had.  Each  was  full  of  wit  and  droll,  comical  expressions;  but 
they  were  so  different  that  if  either  had  been  pitted  against  any 
other  man  than  the  other,  nothing  extraordinary  would  proba- 
bly have  happened.  But  the  combination  brought  them  out. 
They  were  both  restless  while  the  appointed  speakers  were  on 
the  stand,  and  just  before  Mr.  Lincoln  concluded  Dr.  Goodell 
came  and  asked  me  if  we  had  any  objections  to  his  taking  the 
stand.  I  said  no,  and  went  and  told  Mr.  Lincoln  what  he  wanted 
and  he  announced  that  the  doctor  would  speak.  Judge  Cooper, 
who,  it  seems,  did  not  expect  that,  was  annoyed,  and  came  to 
me,  saying  he  wanted  to  speak.  I  mentioned  this  to  Mr.  Lin- 
coln, and  it  was  arranged  that  Cooper  should  follow  the  doctor. 
The  crowd  cheered  the  announcement,  and  as  soon  as  Mr.  Lin- 
coln concluded,  the  doctor  mounted  the  stand,  amid  a  roar  of 
cheers,  with  his  attention  fixed  on  Cooper,  who  was  in  front  of 
the  stand,  and  seemed  to  take  to  himself  everything  the  doctor 
had  to  say,  and  it  was  plain  that  each  rejoiced  in  the  scalp  of  the 
other  in  advance. 

Among  the  doctor's  peculiarities  the  most  remarkable  was 
his  wonderful  stock  and  flow  of  words — words  of  all  descrip- 
tions, but  especially  those  of  the  sciences,  theology  and  meta- 
physics, besides  the  medical  vocabulary,  He  spoke  fast,  and 
the  crowd  cheered,  and  as  the  cheering  went  on  increasing  it  be- 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  25 


came  necessary  for  him  to  speak  louder  and  louder  in  order  to 
be  heard  above  the  din,  and  as  they  excited  him  he  went  on  fast 
and  faster.  He  was  witty  and  made  some  remarkable  hits  and 
as  the  cheering  went  on  he  seemed  to  credit  it  all  to  that  ac- 
count, though  the  crowd  enjoyed  a  good  deal  more  than  that 
what  was  going  on.  Judge  Cooper,  who  seemed  to  take  the 
whole  speech  to  himself,  was  in  front  of  the  platform,  passing 
back  and  forward  and  gesticulating  violently,  and  freauently 
making  some  retort,  at  which  the  crowd  shouted  with  all  their 
might,  whereupon  the  doctor  would  start  on  another  flight  of  his 
remarkable  words,  the  crowd  roaring  until  he  was  utterly 
drowned  out  by  noise  and  he  would  stop  for  breath,  and  the 
screaming  and  laughing  would  go  on.  As  soon  as  it  slacked  the 
judge  cut  in  between  them  with  something  that  set  all  .^oing 
louder  than  ever,  and  the  next  lull,  the  doctor,  with  fresh  breath 
and  a  new  supply  of  his  curious  words  and  wit,  took  all  by  storm. 

"Now,  Judge  Cooper  was  short  and  fleshy,  and  being  lame  in 
one  hip,  used  a  very  stout  cane,  which  he  flourished  most  when 
speaking,  and  as  he  moved  back  and  forth  in  front  of  the  stand, 
and  the  doctor  on  the  platform  "chased"  from  one  end  of  it  to 
the  other,  each  letting  fly  at  the  other  in  his  peculiar  way,  and 
the  people  rolling  and  sprawling  in  the  blue  grass,  and  roaring 
and  the  noise  increasing  every  moment,  it  soon  became  a  ques- 
tion of  time,  or  rather  endurance  on  the  doctor's  part  how  long 
before  he  must  yield  the  platform  and  Cooper  take  his  place. 

"The  doctor  held  the  stand  about  an  hour,  when  he  closed, 
utterly  out  of  breath,  and  everybody  jumped  up  and  shouted 
for  about  five  minutes,  until  the  noise  could  have  been  heard  a 
mile  at  least, 

"Cooper  was  instantly  on  the  platform,  and  as  soon  as  he 
could  be  heard  went  for  the  doctor,  who  was  now  in  front,  and 
moving  back  and  forth,  every  minute  making  some  repartee,  un- 
til it  became  a  regular  set-to  between  them. 

"I  lay  on  the  grass,  and  at  times  leaned  against  the  trunk 
of  a  walnut  tree  about  seven  feet  from  the  right  hand  corner  of 
the  platform.  Mr.  Lincoln  lay  at  full  length  with  his  feet  at  the 
same  corner  and  his  head  supported  at  times  on  his  hand,  his 
elbow  on  the  ground.  Sometimes  he  moved  around  and  cracked 
a  joke  with  somebody  else.  He  remembered  all  the  strange, 
witty  or  ludicrous  things  that  were  uttered  by  either  party  or 
by  the  audience,  but  I  have  forgotten  most  of  them.  I  recol- 
lect, however,  that  Cooper  was  descanting  on  the  fact  that  just 
at  the  time  of  such  momentous  movements  in  the  political 
world,  his  doctor  should  make  his  appearance  among  men,  and, 
in  addition  to  that,  should  have  a  vision  and  see  the  obsolete 
things  or  all  dictionaries  in  every  language,  and  nothing  else 
that  the  people  wanted  to  know — 

"  'That's  more  than  any  lawyer  round  here  has  seen  lately/ 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


shouted  the  doctor,  'a  vision  of  anything  homogeneous  with  a 
dictionary  would  throw  their  whole  system  into  spasms.' 

"  'If  a  lawyer  or  anybody  else  should  take  spasms  or  get 
foundered  on  any  kind  of  valuable  knowledge/  said  Cooper,  'a 
Democratic  speech  would  work  it  all  out  of  him  in  time  to  save 
life.' 

"And  so  they  went  on.  All  questions  concerning  the  Ne- 
braska bill,  Missouri  Compromise  and  Slavery  were  lost  sight 
of  in  the  contest  of  outwitting  each  other.  Each  was  several 
times  on  the  platform  and  sometimes  both — the  crowd  shout- 
ing, 'Go  it  Billbags,'  'Go  it  lawyer/  'Stick  to  him,  Doctor/  etc., 
hats  flying  twenty  feet  in  the  air,  some  standing,  some  rolling 
in  the  grass  and  all  in  a  roar  of  laughter. 

"At  one  time  the  judge  let  off  a  hit  at  the  doctor  and  he  re- 
plied with  a  short  'That's  not  so — that's  a  lie.'  'You  say  that's 
a  lie,  do  you?'  screamed  Cooper;  'well,  doctor,  I'll  take  that  off  of 
you ;  I'll  take  anything  in  the  world  from  you ;  but  for  God's 
sake  don't  give  me  any  of  your  pills.' 

"  'I've  got  no  pill  that  would  help  your  case — I  don't  treat 
delirium,'  said  the  doctor;  'I'll  let  you  know  that  I  am  not  prac- 
ticing medicine  at  all  now.'  'You  don't  practice  medicine  any 
more,  you  say,'  shouted  Cooper;  'the  country  is  safer  than  I  had 
supposed.' 

"And  so  it  went  on  from  4  o'clock  until  just  as  the  sun  set, 
when  the  speakers  subsided  from  sheer  exhaustion  and  the  crowd 
began  to  stir  around  and  separate;  but  the  cheering  and  laugh- 
ing did  not  slacken.  On  every  road  that  they  went  you  could 
bear  them  more  than  a  mile  off,  making  the  woods  ring.  Mr. 
Lincoln  had  laughed  till  he  was  worn  out.  Several  who  were 
near  us  found  it  impossible  to  stop.  For  my  part,  it  was  the 
first  and  only  time  in  my  life  that  I  laughed  till  I  became 
alarmed ;  but  the  fact  was,  it  produced  a  kind  of  spasm  through 
the  chest  and  the  body  which  did  not  entirely  pass  off  for  sev- 
eral hours. 

"We  rode  back  to  Mr.  Sutherland's  and  nobody  thought  of 
wne:  to  bed  before  midnight:  yet  even  then  the  laughing  would 
break  out  somewhere  about  the  house  and  all  hands  would  join 
in,  and  so  it  went  on  for  hours.  The  next  morning  we  separated, 
and  I  saw  Mr.  Lincoln  no  more  till  me  met  at  Atlanta,  Logan 
county. 

"Nearly  nine  years  after,  in  the  last  days  of  March,  1865,  I 
was  at  Washington,  and  went  with  Judge  Steele,  then  chief 
clerk  of  the  land  division  of  the  Indian  bureau,  to  call  on  Mr. 
Lincoln.  We  found  him  writing  a  letter  at  a  long  table.  Gov. 
Yates  and  Delegate  Burleign,  of  Dakota,  were  in  an  adjoining 
room  and  came  in.  Mr.  Lincoln  asked  us  to  excuse  him  till  he 
should  finish  the  letter.  Before  he  had  finished  writing  the 
door  opened  and  Mr.  Seward  came  in  with  a  portfolio  under  his 
arm  and  advanced  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  table.    As  he  did 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  27 


so,  Mr.  Lincoln  spoke  out  in  a  loud  ringing  tone,  'Good  morning, 
Mr.  Secretary.  I  was  just  writing  a  letter  to  send  to  you,  but 
as  you  are  here  now,  I  will  give  it  to  you  myself.'  And  with 
that  he  said  it  made  him  think  of  a  story  about  a  lawyer  up  in 
one  of  the  northern  counties  of  Illinois  who  wrote  a  letter  to  the 
judge  while  court  was  in  session,  because  the  judge  would  not 
allow  him  to  speak  further  in  the  case.  After  he  told  the  story, 
he  introduced  me  to  Mr.  Seward,  and  said,  'This  is  the  man  who 
was  with  me  at  Grandview  the  time  I  told  you  of,  when  we  had 
so  much  fun.'  Then  he  said  to  Gov.  Yates,  'You  never  heard 
that  story,  did  you?'  The  governor  said  he  had  not.  There- 
unon  Mr.  Seward  said  to  Gov.  Yates  that  he  must  hear  it,  and 
Mr.  Lincoln  began  to  tell  it  with  all  the  particulars.  The  table 
was  a  long  one.  standing  about  six  feet  from  the  fire-place,  and 
in  one  corner  of  the  room  stood  a  long  hickory  cane  with  the 
bark  on.  It  was  about  four  feet  long.  As  he  began  to  describe 
the  performances  at  Grandview,  he  stepped  to  the  corner,  took 
that  long  staff,  and  came  round  on  the  side  of  the  table  furthest 
from  the  fire,  and  flourishing  the  cane  and  limping  as  though 
with  a  lame  hip  as  he  used  it,  he  went  backward  and  forward 
before  the  table,  imitating  Judge  Cooper  in  action  and  voice; 
then  laying  the  cane  on  the  table  he  would  give  the  doctors 
part,  and  so  on,  the  room  in  a  roar  of  laughter. 

Gov.  Yates,  Judge  Steele  and  I  knew  Judge  Cooper,  who  was 
very  short  and  fleshy,  with  a  wide  head,  and  here  was  Mr,  Lin- 
coln, over  six  feet  high,  slender  and  straight,  with  a  cane  far 
too  long  even  for  him,  showing  a  man  of  such  opposite  form  and 
likeness,  which  made  the  whole  thing  ten  times  more  laughable 
t^an  otherwise.  Just  as  he  had  repeated  the  words  of  Cooper: 
'Then  the  country  is  safer  than  I  had  supposed,'  and  was  whirl- 
ing around  the  corner  of  the  table  with  the  cane  against  his 
right  hir— Secretary  Seward,  Senator  Yates  and  all  the  rest 
convulsed  with  laughter — the  door  opened  and  in  came  the 
usher,  saying,  'Mr.  President,  that  soldier  is  out  here  waiting 
to  see  you  again.  He  wants  to  know  when  yon  will  see  him.' 
Mr  Lincoln  said,  'Tell  him  I  can't  see  him  any  more  about  that 
matter.  I've  seen  him  as  many  times  as  I  can;'  and  turning 
towards  the  rest  of  us,  he  continued,  'I  wish  that  man  would  let 
me  alone.  I've  seen  him  again  and  again.  I've  done  everything 
for  him  that  I  can  do,  and  he  knows  it  just  as  well  as  I  do:  and 
I've  told  him  over  and  over,  and  he  ought  to  let  me  alone,  but 
he  won't  stop  following  me  up.  He  knows  I  can't  do  anything 
more  for  him.  I  declare,  if  he  don't  let  me  alone,  I'll  tell  him 
what  I  did  a  fellow  the  other  day,  that  I'll  undo  what  I  have 
done  for  him.'  " 


28 


MEMOIRS   OF  ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


FROM  NEGATIVE  OWNED  BY  H.  W.  FAY,  CUSTODIAN  OF  LINCOLN'S 

TOMB 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 


29 


For  President — 

Abraham  Lincoln 
For  Vice  President — 

Hannibal  Hamlin 
For   Presidential    Electors — 

Leonard  Sweet 

John  N.  Palmer 

Allen  C.  Fuller 

William  B.  Plato 

Lawrence  Weldon 

William  P.  Kellogg 

James  Stark 

James  C.  Conkling 

H.  P.  H.  Bromwell 

Thomas  G.  Allen 

John  Olney 
For  Congress — 

James  T.  Cunningham 
For  Governor — 

Richard  Yates 
For    Lieutenant    Governor — 

Francis  A.  Hoffman 
For  Secretary  of  State — 

Ozias  M.  Hatch 


DEMOCRATIC   TICKET 

For  President — 

Stephen  A.  Douglas 
For  Vice  President — 

Herschel  V.  Johnson 
For   Presidential   Electors — 

James  L.  D.  Morrison 

William  H.  W.  Cushman 

John  A.  Rawlins 

John  W.  Drury 

S.  W.  Randall 

S.  Corning  Judd 

Calvin  A.  Warren 

Anthony  Thornton 

Nsthan  W.  Tupper 

William  H.  Underwood 

Isham  N.  Haynie 
For  Congress — 

James  C.  Robinson 
For  Governor — 

James  A.  Allen 
For  Lieutenant   Governor — 

Lewis  W.  Ross 
For  Secretary  of  State — 

George  H.  Campbell 


For  Auditor  of  Public  Accounts  For  State  Auditor — 
Jesse  K.  Dubois  Bernard  Arntzen 

For  State  Treasurer —  For  State  Treasurer — 

William  Butler  Hugh  Maher 

For    Superintendent    of    Public  For    Superintendent    Public  In- 

Instruction struction — 

Newton  Bateman  Edward  R.  Roe 

For  Prosecuting  Attorney —      For  State's  Attorney- 


James   R.    Cunningham 
For  Representative — 
Napoleon  B.  Stage 


Joseph  G.  Cannon 

For  Representative — 
William  P.  Dole 

For  Clerk  of  the  Circuit  CourtFor  Circuit  Clerk- 
William  P.  Gregg  William  D.  Latshaw 

For  Sheriff—  For  Sheriff — 

William  B.  Bailey  Micheal  E.   O'Hair 

For  Coroner—  For  Coroner — 

John  W.  Harshbarger  Levi  James 

For  Convention  For  Convention 

Against  Convention  Against   Convention 


These  Tickets  copied  from  the  original  tickets  of  1860,  pre- 
served by  James  T.  Scott,  and  are  now  in  possession  of  W.  T. 
Scott 


30  M  EM  OIKS  OF  ARK  AH  AM  LINCOLN 

j       COPY  OF  ADVERTISEMENT       j 

[3 ■ "" ■ « '»!3 

Advertisement  appearing  in  The  Prairie  Beacon,  Paris,  Ed- 
gar County,  Illinois,  Friday,  April  26,  1861: 

PARIS  HOTEL, 

R.  Patton,  Proprietor. 
South-East  of  Public  Square,  Paris,  Ills. 

Having  refitted  and  refurnished  this  House,  I  am  now  pre- 
pared to  accommodate  the  traveling  community  in  a  manner 
that  will  ensure  satisfaction.  Omm'bus  running  to  all  trains 
free  of  charge.     Office  of  Southern  Hack  Line. 

*     #     # 

Mrs.  Mary  M.  Patton,  305  South  Central  Avenue,  City,  re- 
lates the  following,  which  came  to  her  through  information 
from  her  husband,  Mr.  Geo.  W.  Patton,  whose  father,  Mr.  R. 
Patten,  owned  the  Patton  Hotel,  which  in  the  late  '50s  was  the 
only  hotel  in  the  town. 

It  was  situated  on  the  south  side  of  the  public  square,  and 
when  Attorney  Lincoln  was  in  Paris  attending  to  his  law  cases 
he  made  the  Patton  Hotel  his  headquarters,  and  always  occupied 
room  No.  22,  which  room  they  designated  as  Lincoln's  room. 

In  later  years  when  the  hotel  was  removed,  that  part  which 
had  the  room  where  Attorney  Lincoln  had  slumbered  was  trans- 
ferred to  East  Washington  Street  and  took  its  place  in  the  build- 
ing there  erected,  which  was  for  many  years  the  home  of  Mr. 
Geo.  W.  Patton  and  family. 

With  the  exception  of  some  minor  change,  the  room  re- 
mains the  same  as  when  Attroney  Lincoln  occupied  it,  and 
thought  over  his  pleadings  for  his  cases  in  the  Edgar  County 
Court  House,  and  dreamed  his  dreams. 


LECTURE  ON  ABRAHAM  LINCOLN. 

Mrs.  Angeline  McMillan,  who  enjoys  the  distinction  of  be- 
ing the  first  white  child  born  in  Paris,  talked  to  a  number  of 
little  folks  at  the  Carnegie  Library  at  four  o'clock  today,  giving: 
personal  recollections  of  Lincoln. —  (Paris  Beacon  of  Feb.  12, 
1909.) 


IN  EDGAR  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS  31 


fr  j  1 1 iic n  >i;ii'.iiMiiiiiimiimiiiii iiiiiiiiiii'iiii iiiiii i iiih nniii nm inmnQj 

!        Lincoln  Mementoes  and  Relics        ! 

|  Dr.  E.  O.  Laughlin  | 

i  J ■•■ ■ 11:1111111111 ■■■; mi  11  Minium : n  i  n  i  m  limit miiiinmriiipit 

Considering  the  brief  time  it  has  been  in  existence  the  Ed- 
gar County  Historical  Society  has  been  quite  fortunate  in  hav- 
ing been  made  the  recipient,  by  gift  and  loan,  of  a  number  of 
Lincoln  mementoes  and  relics.  All  are  well  authenticated  and 
several  are  of  priceless  value. 

Most  cherished,  because  they  connect  the  Great  Emanci- 
pator so  intimately  with  our  community  and  bring  his  majes- 
tic, shadowy  presence  home  to  us,  are  the  chair  he  frequently 
used  when  visiting  at  the  home  of  his  friend,  Hon.  George  W. 
Rives,  loaned  by  the  Rives  family,  the  desk  at  which  he  sat 
when  practicing  law  at  the  Edgar  County  bar,  presented  by  the 
directors  of  school  district  86,  and  the  flute,  over  a  century  old, 
which  was  played  upon  by  Lincoln  and  Dennis  Hanks. 

Closely  related  to  the  days  when  Lincoln,  the  circuit  riding 
lawyer,  practiced  in  Paris  ?re  the  key  to  the  old  court  house, 
loaned  by  the  Misses  Trogdon,  and  the  old  court  house  bell,  pre- 
sented by  the  following  heirs  of  George  W.  Brown:  John  A. 
Brown,  Joseph  E.  Brown,  George  W.  Brown,  Jr.,  Mrs.  Ida  B. 
Morris,  Mrs.  Addie  M.  Easter,  Mrs.  Ola  R.  North  and  Harry  F. 
Brown. 

Other  interesting  Lincoln  relics  reposing  in  the  Society's 
museum  may  be  mentioned  a  picture  of  Lincoln,  a  leaflet  and  a 
piece  of  oak  taken  from  the  Lincoln  home  at  Springfield,  pre- 
sented by  H.  W.  Fay,  Custodian  of  the  Lincoln  Tomb;  picture 
in  frame  of  Lincoln,  Dennis  Hanks,  John  Hanks.  Sarah  Bush, 
the  cabin  in  which  Lincoln  was  born  and  cabin  built  by  Thomas 
Lincoln,  from  Mrs.  M.  Barney ;  an  autograph  letter  of  Lincoln, 
loaned  by  Faber  Blackman,  and  a  picture  of  the  Lincoln  monu- 
ment taken  in  1869. 

Our  people  should  always  bear  in  mind,  too,  that  a  part  of 
the  old  Patton  hotel,  including  the  identical  room  occupied  by 
Lincoln  when  stopping  at  that  old-time  hostelry,  still  stands  at 
131  East  Washington  Street,  upon  ground  which  was  once  a  por- 
tion of  Alexander's  Grove,  where  Lincoln  made  one  of  his  fa- 
mous campaign  speeches. 

Not  on  the  Golden  Eagle  will  we  see  Lincoln's  face, 
Not  on  the  shining  silver  those  dear  loved  features  trace; 
But  on  the  humble  copper,  that  lowly  coin  instead, 
Was  given  the  high  honor  of  bearing  Lincoln's  head. 
The  man  of  many  millions  that  image  may  not  grasp, 
But  childhood's  chubby  fingers  that  penny  oft  will  clasp, 
The  poor  man  will  esteem  it  and  mothers  hold  it  dear; 

The  plain,  the  common  people  Lincoln  loved  when  he  was 
here.  —ROBERT  G.  MACKAY. 


^'""" """"""<",„"„ UUU UUUUUUtUUU tUtttUi ttitttU UUUitUitUuiiHUttiUUUtMiUute 

\  \ 

!  i 

3  3 

;  I 

I                         The  memory  of  \ 

\                         Abraham  Lincoln  ! 

{                          Is  one  of  the                           t  i 

\                          Priceless  heritages  of  I 

I                           American   life,  \ 

\                          It  is  a  great  I 

\                          Constructive  force  in  \ 

\                          Molding  the  character  and  = 

\                         Spirit  of  the  nation.  \ 

|                          The  entire  world  has  f 

|                          Felt  his  influence  and  % 

§                           His  history  belongs  to  \ 

|  Mankind  and  the  ages.  f 

I                          His  example  has  I 

I  Inspired  many  purposeful  and  \ 

I  Determined  lives  and  | 

I  Will  continue  through  I 

!  Coming  generations.  = 

I  His  love  of  justice  \ 

|  Tempered  with  mercy,  \ 

|  His  faith  in  right  1 

I  Over  might,  I 

I  His  devotion  to  duty,  | 

I  His  fidelity  to  I 

I  The  ideal  of  human  service,  I 

His  humility  in  the  use  of  power. 

I  His   unfailing  good   humor  = 

|  Under  stress  = 

|  And  his  confidence  in  the  = 

\  Future  of  our  national  life I 

|  Such  were  the  elements  of  \ 

|  His  greatness,  | 

I                                                                MRS.  W.  T.  SCOTT.         I 


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